News and developments on Freedom of Information in the UK. This blog is run by the Campaign for Freedom of Information. It was established in May 2003 by Steve Wood, who ran it until the end of February 2007 when he took up the post of Assistant Commissioner at the Information Commissioner's Office.

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Media Roundup

Norwich Evening News- My granddad's death changed history"Another thing I have found out is that the Nazis took photos of the plane crashing into the sea as if to prove everyone on it had been killed. I have been trying to uncover the secrets of what happened but it has been very difficult.All the official documents at the Ministry of Defence have been put into a folder which cannot be opened until 2056. Mr Sharp said: "I have put in a Freedom of Information request on the information but I was told it is too 'sensitive' to be revealed until then."

Suffolk Evening Star - Knife crimes higher than ever"MORE knife crimes are being committed in Suffolk than ever before, new figures reveal today.Police in Ipswich deal with an average of two knife crimes each week with the number of incidents in the town involving bladed weapons up by 18 per cent between 2002 and 2004."

Irish Independent - Fee reduces number of information requests (reg. required)"THE number of Freedom of Information requests submitted to the Department of the Environment has continued to plummet since the Government slapped a €15 charge on them. Prior to the introduction of the €15 fee in July 2003, the FOI office had dealt with 349 queries in 2002 and 233 in the first six months of 2003. But the Government's decision to impose a fee resulted in just 112 requests last year."